The Saskatchewan Party announced a number of new initiatives for health care.

If re-elected it is promising to provide patients more choice. Much like MRIs, you will be able to pay for a CT scan privately, and under the “two-for-one” deal, the clinic must provide a scan for someone at the top of the public wait list.

“I think people have moved past ideology,” Brad Wall told reporters at an event in southeast Regina. “The majority of people want more timely care.”

Another initiative is to reduce administration positions and cost in the health regions and redirect the savings to front line workers.

The Saskatchewan Party announced a target savings of $7.5 million a year, or five per cent. That money would go to hire additional nurses and care aides in long term care facilities.

“[We will work with the health regions] to find out what can be achieved through attrition so there’s not “layoffs”, we’re not talking about that,” Wall insisted.

Wall is looking for the right balance between front line care staff and administrators.

Other promises from the Saskatchewan Party Thursday included an increase to the number of paid weeks that an employee can take to care for a dying loved one each year to 26 weeks.

An expansion of the “robot doctor” for remote northern communities that provides diagnosis, real-time assessments and patient management. A pilot project has been underway in Pelican Narrows and the cost each year would be $500,000.

The Saskatchewan Party also pledged to increase funding to the Canadian National Institute for the Blind (CNIB) at a cost of $500,000 a year.